Born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois, home to Frank Lloyd Wright, Nancy Whipple was schooled in art and architecture from an early age. As a child, she accompanied her mother to antiques shows, shops and flea markets, developing a life-long appreciation for historic decorative and functional objects. Nancy has been professionally involved with antiques throughout her adult life, as a collector, a retailer and an independent appraiser. For many years she owned and operated retail antiques shops on Martha's Vineyard, and offers her services as a private consultant to clients interested in purchasing specific items or furnishing a home with antiques.

Nancy has successfully completed the Appraisal Studies Program sponsored by the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in conjunction with the American Society of Appraisers (ASA). She has also studied connoisseurship, interior design and specific decorative arts at RISD. She utilizes the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice as administered by the ASA, and her professional appraisal work strictly complies with the ASA Code of Ethics.

She actively maintains an up-to-date knowledge of values and trends through ongoing studies, a strong network of fellow professionals, continuous market research, and her extensive research library of books, periodicals and auction house catalogs.

Nancy is a member of the Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, and serves on the Board of Directors of Hospice of Martha's Vineyard and was a trustee of the Edgartown Yacht Club. She volunteers in the community as a member of the Special Events Committee of Martha's Vineyard Museum, and as a member of the Edgartown Zoning Board of Appeals. She has also served as a member of the Town of Edgartown's Historic District Committee.

She has lived on the island of Martha's Vineyard since 1971, where she and her husband raised their two children, now grown and making their way in Manhattan.